Eternal Heart
by Gydea
Summary: A young woman dies and is sent to the Farplane. She falls in love with one man but soon discovers another who may need her friendship more...
1. Chapter 1

Senna awoke with a bright morning sun shining down on her face. She kept her eyes closed, revelling in the few moments of delicious relaxation before her day began, listening to the birds and the rustle of the trees. She took a deep, clear breath... Wait. Her eyes flew open and she was greeted with an altogether different view than she had fallen asleep to.

Senna's illness had been incurable by even the best healers in Spira. What had begun as a slight cough had progressed into a debilitating set of symptoms to the point where she could no longer speak without experiencing shortness of breath or move without having a violent coughing fit. Even with a constant stream of various medicines, her lungs were always filled and she couldn't breathe without choking. Despite her most valiant efforts to defeat the disease, her body grew more thin and frail with each passing day, and she had known it wouldn't be much longer until she died. She was 18 years old.

Her mother's apathy to her condition was expected. Since the day she was born, she had been subject to the woman's disappointment and regret, her resentment for the daughter who never should have been born. Senna was the product of a disastrous, abusive relationship that had hardened her mother's heart and robbed her of her capacity to feel love and affection. Senna had never met her father, had no idea if he was even alive. Her dear mother had never seen fit to elaborate. She had tended to Senna's needs in the last days of her life, but her actions were motivated by a sense of duty, not love. She too had realized Senna wouldn't be alive much longer and often regarded her daughter with a look that seemed to say "Haven't you died yet?" There was no bitterness in Senna's remembrance of her mother. She had long since learned that she would never be loved like the other children in her town, would never have a warm, loving family atmosphere. The word "mommy" had never graced her lips. She was a self-contained unit, needing no one, and no one needed her. It was all she had ever known.

She sat up and took another experimental breath, finding her lungs as clear as they had ever been. She looked down at herself and realized that she was no longer the skeletal waif she had been in the months before her death. She looked much as she had looked before the illness. Senna was tall for a woman, with straight dark brown hair and pale grey eyes that shone like stars when she was happy and flashed like lightning when she was angry. Her body was slender with delicately rounded curves, and she moved with an easy grace. She would have been considered pretty if she had smiled more, instead of her usual hard, dour expression. She sighed, remembering all of the people she had pushed away over the years with her sullen demeanour.

She breathed in the sweet, fresh air and looked around. She was in a small clearing surrounded by tall evergreen trees and dotted with small patches of wildflowers. A brook gurgled nearby, and Senna realized that she was thirsty. Hungry, too, but that would have to wait. She stood up and followed the sound a short way into the forest, coming upon a small rocky streambed with a trickle of water running through it. She cupped her hands and dipped them into the clear water. It was fresh and cold, and satisfied her thirst like nothing she had ever drunk. She sat back and pondered her situation for a moment. Obviously she had made her way to the Farplane, but where was everyone else? Senna had assumed the Farplane would be like a city, bigger than Luca or Bevelle, packed with people of all sorts. This was not the case wherever she was now, as there were no signs of human habitation anywhere as far as she could tell. She looked around and spotted a path, so natural looking she might not have even noticed it with a casual glance. In fact, she didn't think it _had_ been there a moment ago. She shook herself mentally. Of course it had been, it wasn't as if paths had a habit of appearing out of nowhere just because a person was wondering how to get out of a forest... did they? Unnerved, Senna stood up and cautiously approached the path. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. She shrugged and started following it. She certainly didn't have any other plans.

After almost two hours of walking, Senna was growing weary of the unchanging forest backdrop. She wasn't tired in the slightest, which was odd considering how weak she had been before she arrived at the Farplane, but she supposed that since she had been given back her looks she must have been given back her strength as well. She had been a formidable hunter in her old life, skilled in both magic and physical attacks. Her relentless training pushed her far beyond the skill of any other in her town, but she never joined the hunters in the search for food or the quest to destroy fiends, and she was never invited to. She didn't mind, though. She hunted better alone.

Just when she was about to give up and turn back to find a clearing in which to spend the night, she spotted an opening in the trees ahead, just over a slight rise. She walked a little more quickly, hoping to be able to survey the land and find any human settlement that might be nearby. She told herself not to get her hopes up, but she was eager just the same. She had so many questions about this place, and she was famished as well. She increased her pace, reaching the opening in the trees and surveying the land below her.

It was a valley of sorts, a plain tucked in between stretches of hilly forested land. She could make out herd animals grazing in the distance, and if she squinted she could see a sparkle of water on the horizon, an ocean perhaps? A road ran close to the foot of the hill she now stood on, and she followed it with her eyes to a village. Senna made her way down the hill to road and set off. Just because she could, she broke into a run, enjoying the speed and the feel of the wind in her face. Gods, it felt good! She had been a prisoner for months in her wasted body, to be whole again was the greatest joy she ever known.

As she drew nearer to the village, Senna slowed to a more sedate pace and considered her appearance. Her hair was dishevelled, but that was nothing a little finger combing couldn't fix. She looked down at her clothing. It was presentable, at least. She wore a blue long sleeved tunic and tan drawstring pants that reached mid-calf, both of a lightweight canvas material, and plain flat sandals. She hoped she wouldn't look out of place. She was almost at the border of the village now. A low wall ran around it, separating the living space from the plains and keeping any wayward children and pets contained.

Senna entered the village and looked around. The buildings were low and pretty much of the same construction throughout, although some were larger than others. She approached the biggest house, thinking that maybe the village headman lived there, or at least someone who could tell her where she was supposed to go. If there was anywhere to go, that is.

Suddenly, a young man stepped out from behind another house directly in front of her. She collided with him painfully and was knocked over, though he hardly seemed fazed. She looked up at his twinkling eyes and took him in. He was handsome, with spiky blonde hair and broad shoulders. He looked like an athlete. As her gaze moved over his body, he grinned and stuck out his hand. "Alright there?" he asked, helping her up. She nodded and got to her feet. "Welcome to Umano Village," he said cheerfully. "I'm Tidus."


	2. Chapter 2

Senna leaned back in her chair and groaned, resting a hand on her full stomach. She was pretty sure she had just eaten more in a single sitting than she ever had on any one day in her old life, but it felt great. Tidus looked at her from across the table with an incredulous look on his face. This girl knew how to pack it in, alright. She glanced up and caught him staring at her, and quickly looked away. Although he was kind and friendly and oh so good looking, Senna had never been at ease around strangers, and Tidus was no exception. She glanced around, trying to think of something to say to break the uncomfortable silence, but Tidus spoke first.

"So where are you from?" There had been no attempts at any real conversation before the meal; Tidus had enough experience with the recently deceased to know that few were interested in anything other than food initially. He had brought Senna to the village's common building, a sort of catch-all centre of activities for all of the denizens of Umano Village. It featured a large meeting space, a games area, and of course, a kitchen. The food was simple, but delicious and satisfying just the same. Fresh fish and meat, greens, rice and honey-sweetened confections were standard fare in the village, owing to the proximity of both a large lake (the glimmer Senna had noted on the horizon) and the rich farmland, well suited to raising livestock and growing crops.

Food and other necessities were transported throughout the area via motorized vehicles. In some areas of the Farplane, particularly where there was a high concentration of Yevonites, machina were still shunned, but many more areas had fully integrated machina and magic with great results. There was a quality of life found in these areas that was absent from Spira. Houses didn't rely on fire for heating and cooking, and what would have been an arduous journey on foot or even on chocobo was swift and pleasant when one could ride in a hover.

Senna paused for a moment, remembering her home life, but she shook it off. That was in the past. "I'm from the Calm Lands." She stated finally, looking up at Tidus. "I lived there all my life, short as it was."

He grinned at her. "The Calm Lands, huh? Not many people out there, are there? Hey, do you like Blitzball?" Senna nodded. "Me and a few guys from around the area have formed our own Blitzball league with some of the other villages. Maybe you'd like to come to the lake someday and check it out?"

Senna smiled, a little flustered at all his questions but delighted just the same at the invitation. Blitzball had been a rarity in her old life, but back before she got sick she used to travel to Bevelle as often as she could to watch a game. "I'd love to." She said brightly, feeling downright giddy at the prospect. She wasn't being her usual self at all. Maybe that wasn't such a bad thing.


End file.
